BYD Denza opens Z9S pre-orders from $47,100 with 1,100-km range

• Denza said the Z9S has the longest range of any mass-produced all-electric model, breaking the 1,036-km record previously held by the Denza Z9GT.
• The Denza Z9S comes in three versions, with pre-sales prices from 319,800 yuan to 389,800 yuan.

Denza, the premium brand under BYD (HKEX: 1211), began pre-sales of its new all-electric Z9S sedan on Monday, adding another long-range electric vehicle (EV) to its lineup.

The Denza Z9S starts at a pre-sales price of 319,800 yuan ($47,100) and will compete with models including the Xiaomi (HKEX: 1810) SU7.

The Z9S comes in three versions. The flash charging Premium version is priced at 319,800 yuan, the flash charging Flagship at 349,800 yuan, and the flash charging Performance version with e3 technology at 389,800 yuan.

Denza positions the car as a “tech luxury smart sedan,” with the second-generation Blade Battery from BYD and the God’s Eye 5.0 assisted driving system as standard across the range.

Li Hui, general manager of Denza, said at the launch event that the Z9S delivers a CLTC range of 1,100 km, breaking the record for the longest range of any mass-produced all-electric vehicle.

The three range versions offer 780 km, 920 km and 1,100 km respectively, all with a 102.3 kWh battery pack. The updated Denza Z9GT, launched in March this year, previously held the record at 1,036 km.

Li said the 1,100 km of range is “not meant to be remembered, but to be forgotten,” as owners can go half a month between charges.

Like other BYD models supporting flash charging, the Denza Z9S can go from 10% to 70% charge in just 5 minutes, and from 10% to 97% in only 9 minutes.

For powertrains, the Z9S offers a rear single-motor version and a tri-motor all-wheel-drive version. The single-motor version has a maximum power of 370 kW, while the tri-motor version has a combined output of 890 kW (1,194 hp) and goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.68 seconds.

The car measures 5,090 mm long, 1,980 mm wide and 1,490 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 3,025 mm, making it slightly smaller than the current Denza Z9. For comparison, the Xiaomi SU7 is 4,997 mm long with a 3,000 mm wheelbase.

The Z9S comes standard with rear-wheel steering, giving it a minimum turning radius of 4.75 m, and features the DiSus-A intelligent air body control system.

For the cabin, Denza said the Z9S is the world’s first vehicle to support Apple CarPlay’s small-window mode, and that it works with all mainstream phone brands including Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Honor and Samsung for phone-vehicle connectivity.

The car also has a roof-mounted LiDAR, a retractable spoiler, a 120-liter frunk and a 470-liter trunk. It comes in 7 exterior colors and 3 interior color schemes.

The Z9S is the third model in the Denza Z9 series after the Z9 and Z9GT, and will compete with mid-to-high-end all-electric sedans including the Xiaomi SU7 and the Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) P7.

Denza is accelerating its product roll-out. The brand’s first all-electric two-door supercar, the Denza Z, made its global debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK on July 9 and is set to go on sale in the fourth quarter.

Denza delivered 19,196 vehicles in July, up 68.76% year-on-year, although down 5.68% from June, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

In the first seven months of the year, Denza delivered 85,737 vehicles, down 6% year-on-year.

Currently, the only model available in the Z9 series is the Z9GT, which sold 5,675 units in July — a 595.47% increase year-on-year, but an 11.95% decline from June.

The Denza Z electric supercar began pre-sales in China on Monday, with a starting price of 680,000 yuan ($100,300).

($1 = 6.7898 yuan)